1 Awards & Honours Civilian Awards of India Bharat Ratna The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award awarded by the Government of India. The Government of India awards the Bharat Ratna, established in 1954, to citizens who have made extraordinary contributions in development of their fields as well as for the country. In Hindi, Bharat Ratna translates to "Jewel of India". Initially, the Bharat Ratna was awarded to individuals who had made exceptional contributions to the fields of art, literature, science and public services. In 2011, the Indian government modified this criterion to include individuals who have made exceptional contribution to any field of "human endeavour". That enabled the award to Sachin Tendulkar for his contribution to sport, making him the youngest recipient of the Bharat Ratna. Bharat Ratna awardees are given a certificate and a medal (shaped like a Peepal leaf) by the Government of India. The award do not carry a monetary grant. The recommendations for the award can be made by the Prime Minister to the President. A maximum of three nominees can be awarded the honor in a single year. The Bharat Ratna can also be awarded to an individual posthumously. Other than Indian citizens, the Bharat Ratna has been awarded to 2 non-Indian citizens: Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan and Nelson Mandela. Mother Teresa was not an Indian citizen by birth, but she was a naturalised Indian at the time she was honoured with a Bharat Ratna. The latest recipients of the honor are social activist Nanaji Deshmukh (posthumous), singer-music director Bhupen Hazarika (posthumous) and the former President of India, Pranab Mukherjee. 2 Padma awards Instituted in the year instituted in the year 1954, these civilian awards are given in three categories: 1. Padma Vibhushan 2. Padma Bhushan 3. Padmasri Padma Vibhushan The Padma Vibhushan is the second highest civilian honour conferred by the Indian government. It was instituted in the year 1954. The Prime Minister constitutes a committee, which submits recommendations twice every year to the Prime Minister and President of India for approval. Like the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan can also be awarded posthumously. Till date, more than 300 people have been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan. Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in India. It has been bestowed upon more than 1200 people, out of which more than 90 were non-Indian citizens. It is awarded once a year on Republic Day. All Padma award winners are determined by the Padma Awards Committee. Padma Shri The Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award given by the Indian government. Along with the Padma Bhushan, it is also awarded on 26th January every year. Change in Nomination Process In 2017, the Government of India decided to end the practice of ministers recommending names for Padma awards and replaced it with any Indian citizen recommending a person for Padma awards online. The government said that this was done with the belief that every citizen has something to contribute to the nation and that contribution should be integrated with the country's growth. Accordingly, several hitherto unknown citizens were awarded Padma awards in 2017. 3 Suspension of Civil Honours The civilian awards have been suspended twice in the history of India. The first instance was when the award for suspended in 1977, when the Indian National Congress went out of power, paving the way for the new government led by Morarji Desai, who opposed these awards. The awards were Shri Morarji Desai was against civilian honours, but he himself was the recipient reinstated after the Desai government lost of Nishan-e- Pakistan – the highest power in 1980. civilian honour awarded by Pakistan. The second instance came in August 1992, when due to public interest litigations filed in different high courts, which challenged the validity of these titles, the awards were suspended. They were reinstated by a Supreme Court judgment in 1995. Military Honours The Indian gallantry awards – for those who chose the nation above themselves. India has a range of military decoration dedicated to the members of armed forces, awarded for extraordinary bravery and courage, as well as distinguished service during times of war and peace. Param Vir Chakra 4 The Param Vir Chakra is India's highest military decoration awarded for the highest degree of valour or self-sacrifice in the presence of an enemy. The Param Vir Chakra was established on 26 January 1950, the first Republic Day of India, by the President of India, to be presented with effect from 15 August 1947. It can be awarded to officers or enlisted personnel from all branches of the Indian military. The medal was designed by Swiss-born Savitri Khanolkar (originally named Eva Yuonne Linda Maday-de-Maros). She was married to Vikram Khanolkar, an Indian Army officer of the Sikh Regiment. Incidentally, her daughter's brother-in-law, Major Somnath Sharma was the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra (posthumous). Till date the medal has been awarded 21 times, 14 of which were awarded posthumously. 16 of the awards resulted from gallantry in conflicts between India and Pakistan. Of the 21 awardees, 20 are from the Indian Army and one from the Indian Air Force. The Param Vir Chakra has not yet been awarded to anyone from the Indian Navy. The prestigious Gorkha Rifle regiments of the Indian Army have received 3 such awards, with the 1st, 8th and 11thGorkha Rifles each having a Param Vir Chakra recipient. Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, who was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously in 1971 is the only Indian Air Force officer to date have been honoured thus. Naib Subedar, Sanjay Kumar and Subedar Yogendra Singh Yadav are the only active duty Param Vir Chakra recipients in the Indian Army. Maha Vir Chakra The Maha Vir Chakra is the second highest military decoration in India and is awarded for acts of conspicuous gallantry in the presence of the enemy, whether on land, at sea or in the air. 5 Vir Chakra The Vir Chakra is an Indian gallantry award presented for acts of bravery in the battlefield. It is third in precedence in the war time gallantry awards and comes after the Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra. Ashoka Chakra The Ashoka Chakra is considered equivalent to the Param Vir Chakra and is awarded for the "most conspicuous bravery or some daring or pre-eminent valour or self-sacrifice" other than in the face of the enemy. Unlike Param Vir Chakra, which is awarded to only military personnel, Ashoka Chakra decoration may be awarded either to military or civilian personnel. It may also be awarded posthumously. Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. 6 Shaurya Chakra The Shaurya Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice while not engaged in direct action with the enemy. It is third in order of precedence of peacetime gallantry awards and comes after the Ashoka Chakra and the Kirti Chakra. National Bravery Awards Ahead of Republic Day every year, children from different parts of the country are awarded for “meritorious acts of bravery against all odds”. Instituted in 1957, the National Bravery Awards have so far been given to 963 children (680 boys and 283 girls). The awards are given in 5 categories: 1) The Bharat Award 2) The Geeta Chopra Award 3) The Sanjay Chopra Award 4) The Bapu Gaidhani Award 5) The General National Bravery Awards Sports Honours in India The Government of India awards mainly 5 different national level sports awards: 1) Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna 2) Dronacharya Award 3) Arjuna Award 4) Dhyan Chand Award 5) Rashtriya Khel Prostahan Puraskar Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna is the most prestigious sporting honour awarded by the Government of India. The award is 7 named after Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister of India. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports evaluates potential candidates for the award, judging sportspersons on several criteria, such as their contribution to the sport as well as to India’s position in the world. The period of judgement in such cases is restricted to four years. The first recipient of the award was Chess Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand, who was honoured for his performance in the year 1991–92. Abhinav Bindra is the youngest Indian to have won this award, at the age of 18. Dronacharya Award Dronacharya award given by Government of India is the most prestigious coaching honour of the country. It is named after the mythological character of Dronacharya, the legendary guru of Pandavas and Kauravas from the epic Mahabharata. The award is given for "outstanding and meritorious work on a consistent basis and enabled sportspersons to excel in international events". The award comprises a bronze statuette of Dronacharya, a certificate, ceremonial dress, and a cash prize of ₹15 lakh. Arjuna Award The Arjuna Awards are given by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, in order to felicitate athletes who have made outstanding progress in national sports. The Arjuna awards were initiated in 1960 and were India’s highest award in the field of sports for almost 30 years, after which the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna took its place. A large number of sports persons, who belonged to the pre-Arjuna Award era,have also been awarded the Arjuna Award. As per recent government guidelines, a sportsperson should not only have had good performance consistently for the previous four years at the international level, but should also have shown qualities of leadership, sportsmanship and a sense of discipline.